Notes:· With the draw, the Galaxy are now 1-1-9 on the season, leaving them in fifth place in the Western Conference with 12 points. They are now one point ahead of sixth place Real Salt Lake who lost 2-1 in San Jose earlier tonight and four points behind fourth place Colorado who defeated New York 3-2 earlier in the game.· For the first time this season the Galaxy used the same starting lineup from the previous weekend. Not only did Bruce Arena start the same 11 players as he did in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at FC Dallas, but he also started the same seven players on the bench.· The Galaxy were without the injured Sean Franklin and Yohance Marshall who are both on the Disabled List with hamstring and knee injuries respectively.· Tonight’s game was the last with the Galaxy for Landon Donovan before departing for National Team duty. He will miss the Galaxy’s game in Toronto next weekend and potentially as many as three more if he is included in the U.S. team that goes to South Africa for the FIFA Confederations Cup.· The Galaxy failed to score in the first half for the seventh time in 11 games this season. However, in six of those seven games LA has gone on to score in the second half.· Edson Buddle’s goal in the 87th minute was his first of the season after tallying a career-best 15 goals in 2008.· Landon Donovan and Dema Kovalenko each assisted on Buddle’s goal. For Donovan it was his team-best fourth of the year while Kovalenko now has two assists, tying him with Mike Magee for second on the club.· Buddle has now scored in each of his last two games at home against the Wizards, with both goals coming late in the second half.· Gregg Berhalter was sent off in the 59th minute for a foul on Claudio Lopez. It was the second red card of the year for Berhalter, making him the first Galaxy player since Kyle Martino in 2007 to be sent off more than once in a season. He is now the fifth player in Galaxy history to be sent off two or more times in a season.· Berhalter’s red card was the Galaxy’s fourth of 2009. They were shown just three red cards in all of 2008.· Chris Klein entered the game in the 78th minute, replacing Eddie Lewis. He has now played in 124 consecutive games, an MLS record.· With the draw, the Galaxy’s unbeaten streak extends to nine games, the longest unbeaten streak for the club since a 12-game streak that began late in the 1999 season and ended early in the 2000 campaign. LA is 1-0-8 during the run.· The draw was LA’s fifth straight, setting a new club record for consecutive draws. Four of those five draws have ended 1-1.· Donovan Ricketts made two saves for the Galaxy and remains undefeated as an MLS goalkeeper, improving his record to 1-0-8.· The Galaxy wore their all-white uniforms tonight and remain unbeaten in them, going 1-0-8 when wearing all-white.· The attendance for today’s game was 19,673.· The Galaxy are back in action on Saturday, June 6 when they head up north to take on Toronto FC at BMO Field. That game kicks off at 1 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on FS West.· For more about this afternoon’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

The Galaxy hit the field with a 1-1-8 record and in search of their second win of the month that would stretch the club's unbeaten streak to nine games.

For the first time this season, Bruce Arena sends out an unchanged side for tonight's game with the same 18 players in the team from last weekend's 1-1 draw at FC Dallas, including the same starting XI.

Friday, May 29, 2009

In the latest episode of This Week Inside the Galaxy, we look back on the 1-1 draw at Dallas, the UEFA Champions League viewing party at the ESPN Zone at L.A. Live, profile the club's official Twitter and preview Saturday's match at home against the Kansas City Wizards.

David Beckham is starting to switch gears (mentally) from AC Milan to LA Galaxy. Beckham, who said he is "excited" and "looking forward" to coming back, gave the LA Times an exclusive interview ahead of his Serie A season-finale against Fiorentina on Sunday.

We're not actually going anywhere to see the Wizards, but rather they are coming to us.

The Galaxy held their final training session of the week this afternoon under a light mist at The Home Depot Center. Like most day before the game sessions, today saw the team working on set pieces and going through a lot of what they thought the Wizards would do on Saturday.

After those functional parts of the session, the players broke up into groups with some playing soccer tennis, some playing in a small-sided two-touch game, some hitting crosses and of course, a lot of finishing.Here is what Bryan Jordan and Landon had to say following today's session.

Landon

BJ

There was also a special guest out at training today as well as former Scotland international Richard Gough stopped by to speak with some of the center backs and goalkeepers. A big and physical presence at the back, Gough played in England for Tottenham and Everton but made his name in Scotland (where he began his career with Dundee United) at Rangers, serving as their captain during their run to nine straight Scottish Premier League titles, before playing in MLS with Kansas City and San Jose during the 1997 and 98 seasons.Here is what Omar had to say, not only about Saturday's game, but also about having a resource like Gough available to him and what he was able to learn from the veteran.

Omar

It also appeared as there was a new Russian goalkeeper at training today, but it was just the goalkeepers and their coach Ian Feuer having some fun with Kevin Guppy. His fellow goalkeepers gave him the distinction of being the first player this season to wear the famous "Leteminski" jersey, which the keepers will be voting on each week. We've started seeing more and more pranks in the locker room throughout the year (most of which we're not allowed to show), further bringing the guys together.Even better (in our opinion) than the "Leteminski" shirt was the football style helmet that Feuer fashioned for Donovan Ricketts out of tape and one of Julian Valentin's Full 90 headgears after Donovan made a great save in Colorado with his face late last month.

Check it out for yourself. And if that photo doesn't do the "mask" justice, we forced one of our many blog staffers to don the mask as it was meant to be worn. Good job him.Finally, be sure to read Mark Rogondino's View from the Booth and Larry Morgan's look at the impact of Eddie Lewis, as well as his preview of Saturday's game. Lastly, read the league preview and download the game guide for all the latest stats, figures and trends to get you ready for Saturday's game.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

One Galaxy player jokingly tried to hide from our cameras today so as to not reveal his identity.

Sorry Gregg, it didn't work.

Though, good effort to throw everyone off the track by wearing a pair of boots that have the #5, your old number from 1860 Munich, on them.

All jokes aside the team continued to prepare for Saturday's game against Kansas City running through a lengthy training session this afternoon that featured everybody except for Sean Franklin who is expected to return to the locker room tomorrow for the first time since his surgery.After playing some small-sided 7v7 games that always get the guys going, the coaches opened things up to the full field to work on tactics, form, shape and all of the essential ingredients that go into a win and three points.After training a bunch of the guys chatted with former National Team teammate (or in Tony's case, his captain at D.C. United) John Harkes who is in town with ESPN to broadcast tonight's Chicago-Chivas USA game. During the session, Harkes mentioned how impressed that he is with the speed and intensity of the training sessions over the last two days, saying that it reminded him of his days under Bruce in the early days of MLS.

U.S. Soccer announced today that Landon Donovan, the all-time leading scorer in U.S. National Team history, has accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors for the USA Bid Committee in its endeavor to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States in 2018 or 2022.

The 27-year old Galaxy captain will be joined by Mia Hamm and others on the Board of Directors.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

The Angel City Brigade was on hand at the ESPN Zone for the LA Galaxy's viewing party of the UEFA Champions League final, were you? If you were, share your pictures from the event with us by sending us a link to your best shots.

The buzz for the match started building early on, with a long ling to get a table forming as soon as the restaurant open. (About 600 people were attended the viewing party.)

A lot of fans got good seats, some better than others. (How comfy does that look?)

But whether you were standing up or sitting down, you were enjoying one of the most hyped up soccer matches in recent history. Did the match live up to the hype? Well, we'll leave that up to you to decide.

You can't deny, however, that the atmosphere at the Zone was crazy after Barcelona's first goal in the 10th minute.

Take a listen...

Even before the match started, things we're busy for our Galaxy ticket reps, whom actually ran out of ticket forms prior to kickoff. Fortunately, someone from the office drove up with extras. Fans who were unable to process their ticket forms prior to the start of the game, came by after the game to do so.

Everybody had a fun time and we hope you did as well. Special thank you to the ESPN Zone at L.A. Live for all their help. The place is fantastic, the food was great. We'll have to do it again soon. What say you, Galaxy fans?

As the team made their way to DFW Airport in Dallas last weekend after the 1-1 draw at FC Dallas, Bruce Arena gave the players the training schedule for the week with one slight change. Knowing that the players would all want to be free to watch this afternoon's Champions League Final between Barcelona and Manchester United, today's training was pushed forward to 9 a.m. from its standard time.

As a result, the session wrapped up right around 10:45 and all the players were inside and ready for the game. About half of the guys stuck around to watch the game in both the players lounge and the trainers room, while the other half raced home to enjoy the action from the comforts of their own sofa.

Just like last year we asked a number of the guys to give us their predictions for the game and the team was split right down the middle with guys like Stefani, Josh Tudela, Dema (who will all be featured this weekend on Galaxy Live), Todd Dunivant, Ian Sarachan and last year's prediction winner Landon Donovan all coming out on top by saying that *** (we don't want to give you the result, but if you want to know which side they picked, just click here)

Speaking of Landon, he got up early this morning to call-in to the Ryan Seacrest Show on KIISFM, to talk a little about today's viewing party at the ESPN Zone and the Galaxy's season so far. But more importantly, Landon was there to donate, on behalf of the club, a number of tickets to the club's game on July 4 to the East Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club. Click here to listen to the interview and to learn how you can help the Boys and Girls Club.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The team was off today but there was still plenty going on here at The Home Depot Center.

The Galaxy Youth Academy had a busy weekend with the U-16 and U-18 teams travelling to Florida for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Summer Showcase. Both teams played three games at the Showcase, with the U-16's going 2-1-0 while the U-18's were 1-1-1. Jesus Rochin and Dersu Abolfathi led the U-16 and U-18 teams respectively with three goals apiece in the three games, which saw the Galaxy play teams from Florida, Michigan and New York.

The Galaxy U-20's also returned to action with a 3-0 win over the Bakersfield Brigade on Saturday. Former Galaxy defender Paul Broome will serve as the club's coach this season and started the season off on a high win the win over Bakersfield. The roster is filled with a number of carryovers from last year's U-20 roster, including UCLA midfielder Michael Stephans, UC Irvine forward Amani Walker, defender Everett Pitts and Travis Bowen, the brother of Galaxy forward Tristan Bowen. The U-20's are back in action with a pair of games this weekend against Chivas USA on Saturday at 2 p.m. at The Home Depot Center and on Sunday on the road against the Lancaster Rattlers.

Speaking of Tristan Bowen, he scored in his Hollywood United debut, coming off the bench on Friday to score in the 80th minute of HUFC's 4-3 win over the Ogden Outlaws. Bowen's goal tied the score at 3-3 in that game and seven minutes later, Israel Sesay scored his third goal in his two games with the club, giving United a 4-3 win.

In other news, the club will be hosting a series of Champions League viewing parties throughout the Southland on Wednesday afternoon for the Final between Barcelona and Manchester United. The game kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and the first 50 fans who make their way to the ESPN Zone at L.A. Live will receive a free $50 game card to use in ESPN Zone’s Interactive Sports Arena.

Speaking of Barcelona, individual tickets for their friendly against the Galaxy at the Rose Bowl on August 1 go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Finally, Ian Sarachan, the son of Galaxy Associate Head Coach Dave Sarachan, has joined forces with friends Luke Schweitzer and Taylor Holop to start and organization called Sporting Smiles. The organization's goal is to provide less fortunate kids with clothing, shoes and equipment to give them the chance to play a sport and put a smile on their face. In order to help achieve this goal, the organization raises funds through donations and a series of auctions that feature autographed memorabilia from some of the top players in U.S. soccer, including Michael Bradley, DaMarcus Beasley and the Galaxy's own Landon Donovan and Omar Gonzalez. Be sure to take a look through the entire website and learn how you can help.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Galaxy played one of their best games of the season, but came away with only one point as a result of a 1-1 tie at Pizza Hut Park against FC Dallas. Unbeaten streak stretches to eight. Get all the news and notes here.

How was the mood in the locker room afterward?

Defender Gregg Berhalter told MLSnet.com after the match: "We should have won the game, but give credit to them because they fought hard and they stayed organized with 10 men. They battled and they did enough to get the point. I think they should be happy but we feel like we lost two points in this game."

On the game:“We didn’t take advantage of our opportunities, didn’t finish off the plays to get three points. It’s really that simple, it’s not a hard game to analyze.”

On making three offensive-minded substitutions:“We had a mental lapse and they get a goal off a corner to their credit. It’s silly that we challenge the goalkeeper two or three times with one on one’s and we don’t convert. The second half I thought, we were technically slow getting the ball off our feet, creating advantages, getting shots of quicker shots, technically not a good performance.”

On needing to move the ball quicker:“I think we just have to play a little quicker and be more efficient with our passing. Our young players at times, look like young players on the ball. For every split second that you hold onto the ball, it gives the defending a split second to regroup and get into position.”

LA GALAXY FORWARD LANDON DONOVAN

On his goal:“It was a good ball by Mike Magee to get behind them and Eddie did a great job putting the ball in front of the net, and I am trying everything I can to get in front the ball.”

On the result of game:“We are disappointed in the result. We are not disappointed necessarily in how we played but I think technically if we were a little better, we win the game, so that was a little frustrating.”

FC DALLAS HEAD COACH SCHELLAS HYNDMAN

Thoughts on the game:“There was a lot of pressure early in the 3-5-2. I keep referring to the poor man’s blanket, every time you’re thinking you’re getting somewhere, you’re giving something else, and I thought we gave up a lot in the flanks early. We switched into a 4-4-2 and probably 30 seconds later Marcelo gets his red card. But, on a positive side we got a point at home when we played against a team a man down for 65 minutes. I thought our defense, in particular Ray (Burse), was outstanding today.”

On Marcelo’s red card:“I didn’t see it. From what I was told the ball went out of bounds and maybe Marcelo put a head in somebody’s face. That’s the rule and it’s a tough way for us to battle back.”

On the performances from the three substitutions:“I thought all three of our subs were good subs today. (Alvaro) Sanchez settled things down and worked hard on both sides of the ball. He was sending some balls in and brought some energy. For us to be down a man it was really hard for Andre (Rocha) and Dave (van den Bergh) to do the work that they needed to do, as LA was sending a lot of players forward. (Alvaro) and Eric (Avila) did a good job when they were on the field. (Avila) did a great job getting down to the baseline and unfortunately did not hit the ball hard enough across, and I thought Anthony Wallace had a really good game. It’s not easy covering the flanks with Donovan and Klein coming through.”

On the defensive performance after allowing the early goal:“The goal came from overplaying (Eddie) Lewis on the flank, and with a three-back system, you’re always exposed wide and in that area around the penalty box and it seemed like we slowed down when we went to the back four. I think they feel good about themselves and as a team we feel good about ourselves to be able to withstand that pressure.”

FC DALLAS DEFENDER DREW MOOR

Thoughts on the game:“I think the first half, it was a similar thing to last week, where allowing not too much space and they countered that by playing high and wide, and scored an early goal. I think it was a soft goal that we gave up and we have to stop that. The bottom line is that it’s too much, but at the same time we scored a goal of our own and got ourselves back in it and made a game of it.”

On the team’s performance after playing a man down:“It makes it tough, we can’t get red cards that early and we lost our composure. But we kept fighting in the second half and I think we would like to start like that as opposed to playing on our heels and if we need to make changes three minutes into the game then we need to make those changes. They did a good job of coming at us for the first 20-30 minutes but in the second half we were a different team again this week.”

On scoring a goal in his 100th FCD game as starter:“It’s always nice to start games and it shows some of my versatility in being able to play in the middle back and outside back. In my first year I played midfield. It’s always nice to score a goal but I would like to have 200-300 starts to finish my career, so I’ll just keep going.”

Notes:· With the draw, the Galaxy are now 1-1-8 on the season, leaving them tied with Real Salt Lake for fifth place in the Western Conference with 11 points. Both teams are now five points ahead of FC Dallas who are in seventh place with six points.· Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena made three changes to his lineup from the 1-1 draw with Columbus last weekend. A.J. DeLaGarza, Todd Dunivant and Josh Tudela returned to the starting lineup, replacing the injured Sean Franklin, as well as Bryan Jordan and Stefani Miglioranzi. Jordan and Miglioranzi were both on the bench.· While the Galaxy were without Franklin, as well as the injured Yohance Marshall, who is on the club’s Disabled List and not eligible for selection until next weekend’s game against Kansas City.· Today’s game was the first time this season that the Galaxy scored the game’s opening goal but did not hold on for the victory. LA is now 1-0-1 when scoring the game’s first goal.· Landon Donovan’s goal in the 3rd minute was LA’s earliest goal of the season and the first that they have scored inside the first 35 minutes of a game.· Donovan’s goal was the fastest Galaxy goal since a 3rd minute strike by Nate Jaqua against Real Salt Lake on June 17, 2007.· The goal was Donovan’s sixth of the season, tying him for the MLS lead. He now has six goals and three assists on the season and has factored in nine of LA’s 12 goals on the year. The goal was also the 16th of Donovan's career against FC Dallas. No other player in the history of the league has scored more against them.· Eddie Lewis assisted on the goal for his first assist of the season.· Mike Magee also assisted on the goal and has now tallied either a goal or and assist in three of the last four games.· With the draw, the Galaxy’s unbeaten streak extends to eight games games, the longest unbeaten streak for the club since a 12-game streak that began late in the 1999 season and ended early in the 2000 campaign. LA is 1-0-7 during the run.· The draw was LA’s fourth straight, setting a new club record for consecutive draws.· The Galaxy are now 0-0-5 on the road this season and are one of just two MLS teams to remain unbeaten on the road.· Donovan Ricketts made two saves for the Galaxy and remains undefeated as an MLS goalkeeper, improving his record to 1-0-7.· Marcelo Saragosa was sent off in the 25th minute of the game for FC Dallas. It was the earliest red card against a Galaxy opponent since Chris Gbandi was sent off for FC Dallas in the 23rd minute of a 2-1 Galaxy win at Pizza Hut Park on September 23, 2007.· The Galaxy have now played with a man advantage for 124 minutes this season but have not scored a goal.· The Galaxy wore their all-blue uniforms for the first time this season and are now 0-2-2 all-time when wearing them. The Galaxy are 1-0-7 when wearing their all white uniforms this year and 0-1-0 when wearing blue shorts with a white shirt and white socks.· The attendance for today’s game was 9,595.· The Galaxy are back in action on Saturday when they return home to host the Kansas City Wizards at The Home Depot Center. That game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and is part of double header with the Los Angeles Sol, who kick off against St. Louis Athletica at 4 p.m.· For more about this afternoon’s game, please visit http://www.lagalaxy.com/.

Come watch Lionel Messi (pictured) and FC Barcelona take on Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United with the LA Galaxy at the ESPN Zone at L.A. Live at 11 a.m. this Wednesday.

The Galaxy will be hosting several UEFA Champions League Final viewing parties throughout the Southland, including one in downtown L.A. at the ESPN Zone across the street from the Staples Center. As was announced earlier this month, FC Barcelona comes to Los Angeles this summer to the play the LA Galaxy in an international friendly at the Rose Bowl on Aug. 1.

Fans in attendance at the viewing parties will be able to purchase tickets for the Galaxy-Barcelona match on-the-spot. The club will also be raffling two sideline tickets for that match as well as tickets to other Galaxy games at each location. At the ESPN Zone, fans will be able to purchase General Admission tickets for the Barcelona-Galaxy match at $20, a discount of $5. The special discount will only be available at the ESPN Zone viewing party.

The Final will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Coverage of the match starts at 11:30 a.m. The match can also be heard throughout LA on ESPN Deportes Radio KWKW 1330 AM in Spanish.

In the latest episode of This Week Inside the Galaxy, we look back on the 1-1 draw with Columbus and that night's earthquake, stop by Sean Franklin's "Spot" and look ahead to this weekend's game at FC Dallas.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Bruce Arena's squad was back on the field this morning as they continue their preparations for Saturday's game against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park. The Galaxy have played some wild matches in Frisco in the past including their 6-5 SuperLiga win in 2007, last year's Edson Buddle inspired 5-1 win that eventually left FCD to part ways with Steve Morrow and of course all Galaxy fans will remember winning the 2005 MLS Cup over New England in extra time.

But it has not been all good times for the Galaxy at Pizza Hut Park as they suffered a 4-1 loss in their first-ever visit there in 2005, a 2-1 loss in 2006 that eliminated LA from postseason contention for the first-time ever and a 4-0 thumping late last July in Ruud Gullit's penultimate game in charge of the club.

But none of that will matter on Saturday when both teams go in search of their second win of the campaign. A Galaxy win could see them jump all the way up to third in the Western Conference standings and stretch their unbeaten streak to eight games, their longest since a 12-game run between the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

After training we caught up with Todd Dunivant and Alan Gordon to hear what they had to say about Saturday's game.

Dunivant

Gordon

Also on Thursday...

The team debuted some new training tops, busting out the blue sleeveless numbers modeled by Todd and Landon above. Equipment Manager Raul Vargas and his staff have had the guys in blue short-sleeved shirts and grey sleeveless ones (amongst the many training tops the guys have worn this year) but this was the first time that they donned this one. What do you think?

The only person who stuck with the sleeves this afternoon was Gregg Berhalter who claimed to be simply "keeping it old school" as he walked off the field at the end of the day.

The fans should get used to seeing the guys in blue as they will be wearing their blue uniforms for the first time this season on Saturday. LA is 1-0-7 when wearing their all-white uniforms this season and 0-1-0 when wearing the white top with blue shorts and white socks, a uniform that they also used in the Open Cup Play-In defeat to Colorado. LA is 0-2-1 all-time in MLS play when wearing the all blue uniform.While Sean Franklin did not train with the team today, Edson Buddle and Yohance Marshall were involved, with the young Trinidadian defender taking part in full training for the first time since injuring his knee last month. Marshall has been doing a number of strengthening exercises and more than his fair share of running to stay involved, but he was thrilled to step up his rehab, even just a little bit.

Edson Buddle was back on the field for the second straight day and will be chomping at the bit to take on FC Dallas this weekend. He has 10 goals in his career against FCD, including four last season (three at Pizza Hut Park) against them. He has not scored more than seven goals against any other club.

If Buddle, along with Landon Donovan and Kenny Cooper get on the field, it will be just the second time in MLS history that the top three goalscorers from the previous season will be on the field at the same time. Much credit will go to the person who can identify the only other time that happened.Kyle Patterson remains with the club and is in line for a spot in the 18-man squad once again, but Tristan Bowen and Israel Sesay were absent from training this afternoon. Instead of preparing for Dallas, the pair were on a plane to Utah where they will play a pair of games against the Ogden Outlaws on Friday and the BYU Cougars on Saturday.

Patterson and the rest of the team will train once more at The Home Depot Center on Friday morning before flying to Dallas tomorrow afternoon. We'll be at that training session and then heading to LAX for the journey to Dallas.

And if you won't be making the trip, be sure to follow all of the action live on FS West, starting with 'Galaxy Live' at 5 p.m.

While the team is busy preparing and focusing on this weekend's game in Dallas, we ask that you, the fans, start thinking ahead to the following weekend when the Galaxy host Kansas City.

At that game, both the Galaxy (who kick off at 7:30 p.m.) and the Sol (who kick off at 4 p.m. against St. Louis) will be participating in the U.S. Soccer Foundation Passback Program and welcome fans to donate “used but usable” soccer equipment– which will benefit local soccer organizations in Southern California.

Click here to learn more about the Passback program and how you can lend a hand.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The LA Galaxy announced today that the club will host Costa Rican power Club Sport Herediano in an international friendly at The Home Depot Center on Tuesday, June 9. The 21-time Costa Rican Primera Division champions and current Primera Division finalists are one of the most successful clubs in Costa Rican history, producing many of the country’s top all-time players.

“This will be a great challenge for our team to play against a club like Herediano who are one of the top teams in our region and a finalist for their league championship,” Galaxy President of Business Operation Tom Payne said. “We continue to provide exceptional value to all of our season ticket holders and believe that games such as this one will only add to that value.”

On Sunday, Herediano booked a spot in the Primera Division Verano Final against LiberiaMia with a 6-2 aggregate win over Brujas. The two-leg final will be played on May 20 and May 24 with Herediano looking to win their first championship since the 1992-93 season.

Led by former MLS players and Costa Rican National Team stars Andy Herron and Mauricio Solis, as well as Costa Rican goalkeeper Ricardo Gonzalez and Colombian forward Oscar Briceño, Herediano were the top attacking team in Costa Rica this season, scoring a league-high 28 goals in 19 games.

Herediano is managed by Ronald Mora, who took charge of the club in March. The 47-year old led Herediano to their last finals appearance in the 2003-04 season, which was the club's first appearance in the championship since winning the 1992-93 championship.

This game will be included in the Galaxy full season seat plan as Bonus Game Five (5), meaning that Galaxy full season seat holders will get to see two of the top clubs in Europe and one of the top clubs in Costa Rica this year as part of their season plan. The game will kick-off at 7:30 p.m. and tickets will go on sale on Friday, May 22 at 10 a.m. online and through the Galaxy front office and at all Ticketmaster locations.

Additionally, fans can purchase a special two-game pack that will give them tickets to the Galaxy-Herediano game, as well as the Gold Cup doubleheader at The Home Depot Center on July 3, which features Costa Rica taking on El Salvador and Canada taking on Jamaica.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Dema Kovalenko will be the guest on tonight's episdode of Fox Football Fone In on Fox Soccer Channel. The two hour show, hosted by Nick Webster and Steven Cohen, starts at 5 p.m. (PT), with Dema scheduled to be on early in the second hour.

For all of you who miss it the first time through, the show will re-air at 8 p.m. (PT).

Notes:· With the draw, the Galaxy are now 1-1-7 on the season, leaving them tied with Real Salt Lake for fifth place in the Western Conference with 10 points. Both teams are now two points behind third place Houston and Colorado who each have 12 points and five points ahead of FC Dallas and San Jose who are tied in seventh place with five points each.· Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena made four changes to his lineup from the 1-1 draw at Seattle last weekend. Eddie Lewis and Bryan Jordan were brought into the starting lineup, replacing Todd Dunivant and Jovan Kirovski. Kirovski began the game on the bench while Dunivant was rested for the match and not in the 18-man squad.· The Galaxy were also without Edson Buddle who aggravated a quad strain in training earlier in the week, as well as Yohance Marshall, who is on the club’s Disabled List and not eligible for selection. Marshall is not eligible to return to action until at least the home game against Kansas City in May 30.· Defender Julian Valentin was also not in the lineup after being loaned to the Cleveland City Stars of the USL First Division earlier in the week. Valentin is scheduled to remain on loan for a month.· With the draw, the Galaxy’s unbeaten streak extends to seven games, tying the mark for the fourth longest in club history. LA is 1-0-6 during the run.· After appearing in seven of the Galaxy’s first eight games as a substitute, Bryan Jordan made his first start of the season for LA. Jordan played the full 90 minutes up front and on the right side of midfield.· Donovan Ricketts made three saves for the Galaxy and remains undefeated as an MLS goalkeeper, improving his record to 1-0-6.· Eddie Lewis’ goal was his first of the season and second since joining the Galaxy in August 2008. The goal came on Lewis’ 35th birthday.· With the goal, the Galaxy have now scored seven goals in the final 15 minutes of a game and three in second half stoppage time.· Omar Gonzalez started and played the full 90 minutes in central defense, making him the first Galaxy rookie ever to start each of the club’s first nine games on the season. He is also one of two Galaxy players, along with Landon Donovan, to have played the full 90 minutes in all nine of the club’s games this season.· With the draw, the Crew are now 2-0-4 in their last six games against LA at The Home Depot Center.· Sean Franklin left the game at halftime with a hamstring strain and will be evaluated on Monday.· The attendance for today’s game was 16,649.· The Galaxy are back in action on Saturday when they head to Frisco, Texas to take on FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park. That game kicks off at 5:30 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on FS West.· For more about this afternoon’s game, please visit www.lagalaxy.com.

LA GALAXY HEADCOACH BRUCE ARENAOn getting a point:Under the circumstances, we are certainly happy about the point. We really wasted the 45 minutes in the first half. I think the second half was better. Obviously a great finish by Eddie Lewis at the end of the game to get us a point.

On the Galaxy’s performance during the second half:I don’t think we showed a lot of energy, and I thought we were out-competed on most positions on the field. Playing at noon in the heat is an excuse if you want to use it as an excuse. We certainly used it as an excuse. We responded a lot better in the second half. Our field tends to play a little slow and slippery, and that is certainly not an excuse, but for whatever reason I thought Columbus won most of the battles in the first half, with a few exceptions. In the second half, I think we turned that around.

On Columbus’ goal:I think if Tony has an IQ of over 40, he understands the mistake he made. I didn’t want to dwell on it today. We will certainly talk about it. It was a mistake by a player. He thanked the team at the end for bailing him out. He knew he made a mistake. Schelotto made an excellent play too. He’s a heady player. I said to my team during the week—I think this is his best year in the league. I think he’s simply been outstanding. Ironically, they are a team that’s not getting a lot of points at this point either. I think he’s been absolutely terrific. I think he’s had an excellent year.

On the highlights of the game:I think [Mike] Magee was good today. He was our best player from start to finish. He wanted the ball in tough spots. He was confident with the ball at his feet. I think [Donovan] Ricketts continues to be an outstanding goalkeeper. Ricketts had to make two big saves in this game. I think one in the first half and one right before we scored. I’m really pleased with him. He’s been outstanding. I think that Eddie Lewis did a good job coming in for Todd Dunivant today. I think our central midfield is getting a little bit better. We need to find a better combination of players to get our attack a little bit better. We’ve gotten better each and every game I think. We are getting close to where we want to be, but we have to get over the hump and win some games.

LA GALAXY FORWARD LANDON DONOVANOn how the team played:We should have played better. As bad as we played in the first half, it was still 0-0. We played pretty well coming out in the second half, and made a mistake and then we were down a goal. Our reaction as always this year was really good. And, we had a chance to maybe win it.

On coming back from behind:We don’t want that to be our M.O. all year. If it is, we are going to struggle because you can only do that so many times. Maybe if we were a little bit better in from of the goal we could have gotten the lead in the second half. Then obviously we can’t make that mistake.

LA GALAXY DEFENDER EDDIE LEWISOn his goal:It was a good strike. It sat up nicely. I just remember the whole team being inside the box. I took the time, and I think that the biggest challenge was making sure I didn’t get overanxious and really just let it flow and cut it clean. With some balls, as soon as they leave your feet, you just know straight way. It was nice. It was nice to get back into it. But we are still in the same road until we really are pressed the way we play. We don’t play adventurous enough. It takes a while, and then we go down a goal, and then we get ourselves back in the game. We have to somehow transform that mentality from the kickoff. We’ll see. We are trying to get better.

LA GALAXY DEFENDER GREGG BERHALTEROn the team’s performance:The way we played in the first half, we are disappointed. We expect more from ourselves. We were pleased how we came back in the second half and had a better performance.

LA GALAXY FORWARD BRYAN JORDANOn playing in the heat:I felt good. Being from down here, I’m used to the heat. A lot of our boys are, and I thought we showed we are a good team. We came back and got a tie out of it. Our team really knows that we could have gotten a win.

COLUMBUS CREW HEAD COACH ROBERT WARZYCHAOn Columbus’ performance:I think we played better in the first half. We had some chances, especially in the first 20 minutes. We moved the ball pretty well from side to side, so the first half was pretty good. I think in the second half, LA stepped up a little bit. They made some changes, and they took over the play. But we were still dangerous. We created a couple of chances, especially the free kick that didn’t go in. I don’t think that red card was necessary for us. I think we could have done better. Then the great strike by Eddie Lewis. We thought we were going to get three points, but with a point we have to be happy. If someone was to give us a point before a game, we would probably take in, but then again we are disappointed after the game.

On the officiating:No, I’m saying the red card wasn’t necessary because Landon [Donovan] was going towards the corner, the flag. We should have stayed on our feet, and let him have the ball. What was he going to do with the ball? Probably play it back. And we would deal with that. We gave the referee a chance to call a foul and he did.

COLUMBUS CREW DEFENDER CHAD MARSHALLOn getting a point:It’s tough. We were clearly the better team throughout the 90 minutes. It was tough to give up one late and lose three points. We will figure it out this week in practice and get back for the next game.

COLUMBUS CREW DEFENDER FRANKIE HEJDUKOn today’s match:We fought a lot; unfortunately we gave up another late goal. It’s hard to take, but at the end of the day we didn’t lose on the road. A point isn’t a bad result.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

In the first installment of this season's This Week Inside The Galaxy, Troy Bardy finds out what the players are saying about the match against Barcelona, gets to know Chris Birchall and previews Sunday's Military Day game at The Home Depot Center against Columbus (Noon, FS-W and Telefutura).

Additionally, be sure to head over to lagalaxy.com to read the latest View from the Boothcolumn from Mark Rogondino and a pair of features from the ever-present Larry Morgan.

Defender Julian Valentin was loaned out this week to the Cleveland City Stars of the USL-1. His loan is scheduled for one month.

Generation adidas forward Israel Sesay will be on loan with Hollywood United this weekend for their games on Saturday and Sunday.

Barcelona can win the La Liga on Sunday with a win or a draw against Mallorca. The title would be Barca's 19th league title. On Wednesday, Barcelona captured the Copa Del Rey championship by beating Athletic Bilbao, 4-1, in final. Barcelona comes to Los Angeles on Aug. 1 to take on the LA Galaxy at the Rose Bowl.

AC Milan need a win and an Inter loss or draw to stay in the hunt for the Serie A title. David Beckham is suspended for this game. AC Milan travels comes to Los Angeles to play the LA Galaxy on July 19 at The Home Depot Center.

That's John Farnworth. This is what he can do. Farnworth, the World Freestyle Football Champion, will be attempting to break the Guiness World Record for most face rolls on Sunday at The Home Depot Center-- 30 minutes prior to the game at SoccerFest in the main concourse.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

The Galaxy welcomed a new face to training on Wednesday morning as Trinidad and Tobago National Team midfielder Chris Birchall practiced with the club.

The 25-year old currently plays for English League One side Brighton & Hove Albion after having previous stints with Port Vale and Coventry City.

He is a regular with the Trinidad & Tobago National Team, having appeared more than 30 times, including in their recent 3-0 defeat to the U.S. in Nashville, Tenn. on April 1. He started all three of the country's games at the 2006 FIFA World Cup as T&T went out in the first round with a 0-2-1 record.

Birchall will wear the #33 shirt while training with the club. That shirt was last worn in preseason by Josh Boateng, with Celestine Babayaro and Clint Mathis having also worn the shirt recently.

Here are a few more shots of Mr. Birchall's first day training with the Galaxy and be sure to check back tomorrow as we get to know him a little bit more in the year's debut episode of This Week Inside the Galaxy.

After two days off, the Galaxy returned to the field today to begin preparations for Sunday's home game against Columbus.

Don't forget, the MLS All-Star Voting is now open. Help send your favorite Galaxy player to Salt Lake this summer. Also, the first 7,500 fans at Sunday's game will receive this nifty LA Galaxy Support the Troops hat (pictured right) that has the American Flag on one side and the yellow ribbon on the other.

The coaching staff started training the day with some possession drills and a 3v3 short-sided game, where offensive players were pitted against defensive players. After that, the offense worked on finishing while on one side of the field while the defense worked on communication and clearance.

At the end, the players warmed down by running in groups of three through three different stations set up in one half of the field. The drill alternated between sprinting and jogging before heading into the locker rooms.

Donovan Ricketts, who was listed on Monday's injury report as probable after favoring his right thigh at the end of last weekend's game, did go through the entire training session with the first team.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

If you didn't understand the previous... whatever that was, don't feel lost. That was Twitter speak for "Spread the word, follow your favorite soccer club, the LA Galaxy, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LAGalaxy. Yes, we've joined the Twitter Revolution! Much like the rest of society.

Who's on Twitter from the LA Galaxy? Two of the players, a member of the Miss LA Galaxy court, Front Office Staff and you, the fans!!!!

Join Twitter today and participate in the club's Twitter Challenge in order to win autograph memorabilia. The LA Galaxy Twitter Challenge rules are pretty simple, join and/or get people to follow the Galaxy on Twitter and win prizes. It's easy!

1,000th follower and person who refers the 1,000th foll0wer each win autograph mini-ball from BJ, Edson and Stefani Miglioranzi. (Stefani is not on Twitter, but when told about the contest wanted to participate. Nice, huh?)

Monday, May 11, 2009

Sunday's 1-1 draw in Seattle does not have the same aura that Wednesday's draw in Salt Lake did.

Galaxy played the majority of the second half with a man advantage, but the club was unable to score the go-ahead goal as fatigue began to set in. Playing three games in nine days will do that. But here are two things to keep in mind:

Galaxy did remain unbeaten on the road, the club is one of only two in MLS that has not lost on the road so far this season.

Galaxy extend their unbeaten streak to six. Their only loss this season came in week three of the MLS schedule, falling 3-2 at home to Colorado.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY QUOTESHead Coach Bruce ArenaOn the aggressive style of play between both teams“I don’t know. We are a tired team and this is the third game in about 8 days, two on the road. We are differently a little fatigued today.”

On the team starting to find their identity“Yeah, we are playing better and we haven’t lost since the second game this season. It is tough playing here on this surface, nobody likes it. Haven said that this kind of surface is a good surface. It is a big home field advantage and obviously great home field support. Today we were a little fatigued for sure. We get a point.”

On attributing anything to the physical nature of play“I don’t think it was particularly physical. You can’t strike an opponent in the head with your hands. The red card was warranted. I think when you play on this type of field there will be more fouls. The way ball spinning and people a little uncertain on plays versus on a grass field and I think some of these things will happen.”

On his overall thoughts on his team play today“Just okay. We knew fatigue would be an issue. In the second we were a little tired and we tried to make some changes to bring us a little energy but it didn’t have enough of it to get us the game winner.”

On settling on a starting rotation“I think today we had to make changes with the number of games we have played in the short period of time. These changes were made mostly on guys being a little fatigued. With a game on Wednesday at Salt Lake, Saturday at home and this game today. It is natural the number of games and travel, throw in some altitude in the middle of the week, it test the players physically.”

On playing with a man up“We didn’t do a good enough job in the last ten minutes of the game to put us in position to win the game. That would be my criticism of the game. We didn’t tactically do the things to do the things at the end of the game with an extra player to create a chance to maybe get your self the three points.”

FORWARD ALAN GORDONOn the physical nature of the game today“As a forward it is always physical. When you have two big strong center backs like Tyrone [Marshall] and Jhon [Kennedy Hurtado] it will be a battle and that is all it is.”

On being happy to scrap out a tie on the road“I think it is bitter sweet. It is good to get a point on the road especially, but the situation like this we need to get three points. When we go up a man the advantage goes to us and we have to start getting wins. With that being said I think we played well and we got a point. They are a good team. We are not happy but we are satisfied.”

On scoring on Kasey Keller “It makes me feel pretty good. I’m just happy to get a goal.”

On the team being a little fatigued“We were able to get some fresh legs in today and I think we have a pretty solid bench. If one guy sits out and the next guy can come in a do the job. I think we have a solid squad here.”

On the competitive nature of the game “Just two competitive teams. It is good we are battling. We are hungry and they are hungry as well, and they are a good team and we had to fight to get a point.

FORWARD LANDON DONOVANOn the physical nature of play during the game“It was a good game, a fun game to be a part of. That is the way the game should be, it was hard and it was fun. The game was mostly fair and it was an intense game. We enjoy in playing in games like this.”

On the atmosphere here in Seattle“It was awesome, just great. I have heard from almost every team that has played here and have had awesome things about this place. I have played here with the National Team a few times and it has been great both times and today didn’t disappoint.”

On offensive performance in the second half “I think we got tired. It was little unfortunate because we worked hard for 70 minutes, and I think we got tired and little lazy. I wish we could have played them when we didn’t play a mid week game. All things considered I thought it was a good game.

SOUNDERS HEAD COACH SIGI SCHMIDGeneral Comments: “I’m very proud of our team from the standpoint of playing a man down and still trying to go for the win. Whereas, the opponent was a man up and they were very content to tie the game take it to 90 minutes. I’m very disappointed in the ejection and I’m disappointed in the refereeing.”

On James Riley ejection“I need to see it on replay. It was our free kick and Gregg Berhalter picked up ball. I guess he thought it was his free kick. I don’t know. Maybe he was momentarily confused or dazed and the referee was confused and dazed. There ended up being a melee and a scrum. That’s about all I can say right now. I’ve known the referee for a long time. When I was coaching in college we were allowed to list a couple of referees who would not be put on your games. He hasn’t refereed many games that I’ve coached. The assistant referee told the referee that in his estimation it was a red or violent conduct. The other ref told him something but he chose to ignore that piece of advice. I’ll let you draw judgments on the refereeing.”

On the referee decision“There seemed to be a lot of inequalities in the game. Early on there was an injury to Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and it seemed like it took them forever to get him back on the field. There was an injured Galaxy player and he was able to come on immediately.”

On Los Angeles Galaxy playing style“Their whole playing style all season has been to keep themselves close and in games and snag a goal here and there. They got a good cross and a good finish on a ball that we lost coming off the back that we probably shouldn’t lost him where we did.”

On Sounders offense “In the first half it was tough for us because they held their line so deep that we had to be patient and knock the ball around. I thought we had a good goal and I thought we had a penalty as well that didn’t get called. When you’re playing a team like that that’s what you’re going to get. You’re going to get some shots here and there, but if you get denied those opportunities it’s going to be a long afternoon.”

On no-call in penalty box“That one I did see on replay and certainly did look like it could have been, should have been, maybe.”

On Sebastien Le Toux“He gave us what I thought he’d give us, which is a lot of energy and running around. Because they play a 4-5-1, we had Seba float inside so that we could bring (Brad) Evans inside a little more. Seba gave us what I expected with his energy and his work rate and he put pressure on the opponent’s defense.”

On red cards this season “Kasey’s red there’s nothing much you can say or do about that. Montero’s arm was up and the referee decided to make a harsh decision. Today, it’s tough for me because it happened so quickly. Maybe James (Riley) deserves a red card, but I can’t believe that there’s not another red card in that melee. That’s the kind of confrontational melee that to single one side out one side against the other made it a little unfair.”

On fouls“I don’t think there was a lot of embellishment on fouls. In that fracas there was probably some extra theatrics there, but I don’t think there was a lot of embellishment on fouls today. If people got kicked they got kicked. Some people got kicked from behind on both sides. That happens.”

On team’s character“I thought we showed a lot of character and what we showed more than anything is that we want to win games if we’re in games. We’re at home and we felt we owe it to our fans to try to get forward. That’s why we made a substitution and brought in (Sanna) Nyassi for (Steve) Zakuani. I’m proud of that mentality. I’m proud of that attitude. That’s what I want our team to be. We want to play soccer. We want to win games. We don’t want to hope to keep it close and hope that we can sneak one in. That’s not our philosophy. I’m very proud of our team playing a man down and playing in a very difficult situation where the rub of the green certainly wasn’t going in our direction, but to maintain ourselves and still be dangerous on set pieces and crosses is good.”

On Galaxy pushing for the win “It became less likely as they kept taking forwards off the field and replaced them with midfielders. Any time you have Landon (Donovan) on the field there’s danger though.”

On ties“Sometimes ties feel good and sometimes ties feel bad. It’s an emotion. I was in this league when they did a shootout and I certainly don’t want a shootout. To work this hard like we did today and bring the game to the other team while playing a man down and then to go to some shootout or something and walk off the field as a loser been unjust to our team.”

DEFENDER JAMES RILEYOn the red card penalty“It really did happen so fast. Intent for me to strike any player in the game with my hands. I was trying to grab him. He pulled his head away. That’s why the referee has a whistle. He pulls a yellow. Tells me to back off. I do. And it just changes (to red). You just suck it up and take it on the chin.”

On if the red card was surprising “I was surprised. That’s how it goes. We’ll let the coaching staff handle that. Again I was disappointed.”

On if the red card was for a punch “It’s definitely not a punch. I was just trying to grab him because I thought he was wasting time. So again, I take full responsibility. By no means do I ever intend to strike any player in the face or anywhere… I definitely want to make that clear.”

It was a shocking feeling. A gutting feeling to have that happen at home, and then try to get three points.

MIDFIELDER FREDDIE LJUNGBERGOn controlling possession“I think we did that in the first half. And I think we had them all over the place and maybe we should have scored some more goals, as well as the penalty, it would have been a total different game. Of course after the red card, you’re one man down, it’s a hard game. I think we still made it even. Fortunately it’s a draw, though we would’ve liked to have won the game.”

On what is more upsetting the red card of the no penalty decision in the box“It’s really hard to say what upsets you the most. I think it’s the whole thing. Everybody knows how important the goals are. One goal would’ve changed the game. We had such good pressure on L.A. It was Nate, that penalty of course upsets you. The only thing they could really get us is when they had free kicks or did small things that weren’t small kicks and then could get out of the pressure. We really played well in the first half. I’ll leave it like that. It could’ve been a lot of goals after that. But of course it changed the rest of the game.”

On playing up front in the second half“I liked to play up there. But like I said they played man-man against me. When they play man-man and if it went deep then their player will go all the way up to me and make a big space in front of the back-four. And we tried to play into that. We didn’t get as many chances as we wanted and he wanted me to be more in the game, so that’s when I pulled higher up and play more offense. I like to play closer to their goal. But at the same time, it’s a team effort and when they man-mark you, you have to move their player so you can open up the game without getting the ball. We did two different things. It worked well, but then he was sent off… Then we had to play a normal midfield and I had to defend quite a lot. When you get a sending off, normally you get pinned back a lot, but today I think we played quite well even with one man down and maybe could’ve likely scored. Some of the set pieces were very close. The ball was like a pin-ball bouncing off players.”

GK KASEY KELLEROn red cards being pulled“If we were a dirty team running around kicking people that’s one thing. I mean guys are getting sent off for silly things, where guys are getting booted in the game and not even getting yellow cards for it. So I think there are some strange, I don’t know, where something is coming from the league, or coming from the referee association, where I just think you have to realize that look ‘try to keep guys on the field’. If a guy does something nasty and punches somebody or repeatedly is kicking people and trying to hurt people, okay send them off. But little handballs and little ticky-tacky things that’s not what the game is about.”

FORWARD NATE JAQUAOn the red card“I couldn’t really see it. I didn’t see what happened much. A bunch of pushes is what I saw, it’s a tough call.”

On if yellow cards changes the way the team plays“A little bit. This one was a bit strange this second half. I’m not quite sure a few of the stuff what was going on. You have to be careful about what you get into and go into”

On playing a man down and staying aggressive“We kept trying to go at them a bit. It’s tough being down a man and still trying to go at them because they were countering on us a bit more, and they had a bit more of possession once they had that extra man. But we were still getting some decent attacks, which was good. It’s tough playing down a man. We don’t want to keep doing that. Hopefully that’s the last one for a while.”

On the goal“I made a run outside, and kind of went wide on the right. It opened up for me. Steve (Zakuani) played a great ball in. Saw (Donovan) Ricketts coming out, and saw Seba (Le Toux) to my left, so just knocked it over to him and then he had an easy finish… I’m sure he liked that.”

The LA Galaxy

LA Galaxy Links

The LA Galaxy Channel

One of Major League Soccer's original clubs, the LA Galaxy play their home games at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. A two-time winner of both the MLS Cup (2002 and 2005) and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2001 and 2005), the Galaxy boast a strong and rich history in MLS and around the world. With a roster that features stars like David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle and more under the eye of general manager and head coach Bruce Arena, the Galaxy will look to return to the pinnacle of MLS in 2010.